I was lucky enough to see the live action adaptation of Tokyo Ghoul early, due to the special event Kazé held in Berlin. The Manga and Anime get published through Kazé in Germany and they decided to hold an Europe Premiere three weeks in advance of the Japanese premiere, with the attendance of the director Kentarô Hagiwara. We even got a mini red carpet, promotional posters everywhere and the special Tokyo Ghoul paper mask. So it actually felt like something special to us fans.
The event was nearly sold out and only a few seats were left empty. The atmosphere was also good and one was able to feel the anticipation. I for myself, hasn't had much hope for the live action adaptation after what they did to Shingeki no Kyojin. I don't want to throw in the Death Note movies, because they're so old now, but these were much better than Shingeki no Kyojin.
So my expectations weren't high at all. Also I tried to catch up on the Manga as much as possible, so I'll be able to judge the movie right.
And I got positively surprised!
For everyone who hasn't read the Manga or watched the Anime here's a short summary what Tokyo Ghoul is about.
Plot: Tokyo has become a cruel and merciless city—a place where vicious creatures called ghouls exist alongside humans. The citizens of this once great metropolis live in constant fear of these bloodthirsty savages and their thirst for human flesh. However, the greatest threat these ghouls pose is their dangerous ability to masquerade as humans and blend in with society.
Tokyo Ghoul follows Ken Kaneki, a shy, bookish college student, who is instantly drawn to Rize Kamishiro, an avid reader like himself. However, Rize is not exactly who she seems, and this unfortunate meeting pushes Kaneki into the dark depths of the ghouls' inhuman world. In a twist of fate, Kaneki is saved by the enigmatic waitress Touka Kirishima, and thus begins his new, secret life as a half-ghoul/half-human who must find a way to integrate into both societies. 『Source』
For everyone who hasn't read the Manga or watched the Anime here's a short summary what Tokyo Ghoul is about.
Plot: Tokyo has become a cruel and merciless city—a place where vicious creatures called ghouls exist alongside humans. The citizens of this once great metropolis live in constant fear of these bloodthirsty savages and their thirst for human flesh. However, the greatest threat these ghouls pose is their dangerous ability to masquerade as humans and blend in with society.
Tokyo Ghoul follows Ken Kaneki, a shy, bookish college student, who is instantly drawn to Rize Kamishiro, an avid reader like himself. However, Rize is not exactly who she seems, and this unfortunate meeting pushes Kaneki into the dark depths of the ghouls' inhuman world. In a twist of fate, Kaneki is saved by the enigmatic waitress Touka Kirishima, and thus begins his new, secret life as a half-ghoul/half-human who must find a way to integrate into both societies. 『Source』
Review: As mentioned beforehand I got positively surprised. The movie only followed the plot of the first three volumes of the Manga and it was so close to the original that I'd like to say it's the best manga to movie adaptation, I'd even go so far to say it's the best book to movie adaptation, I've ever seen. And I'm not saying it because my expectations weren't high. No! It really is just this good.
Plotwise a really good adaptation. CGI-wise a really good adaptation. Visual effects really good. The way it was cut, really good. The use of light and darkness - black and white, really good. Choice of actors, really good. Haven't heard or seen much of these particular actors, because I was in a really bad J-Drama slump, but wow. Really good choices were made. The acting is on point and really fitting to the characters.
Sure, here and there are a few minor changes and maybe one or the other character is a bit over the top, but in general it is a really well made movie. Even the setting is on point. Okay, it's not so hard to get Tokyo right, when you're in Tokyo, but I really liked how they did the "Antique" café and different little things. I especially liked the mood they created for Uta's Mask Shop. So good, the setting, the mood, the decoration, on point. Even the whole accident scene that turns Ken Kaneki is on point. It's so real and so extremely close to the Manga.
We also got a lot of fight and training scenes which are really good. Not too long, not too short, not in any way too exaggerated. Really well made and only the ones that where important to the whole story. Even the symbolic bits and bobs that are noticeable throughout the Manga got included. Which also got underlined through the way the movie was cut and through the use of the visual effects.
This movie is not only a masterpiece adaptation wise, but also really creative and well done in all aspects. Also in the interview that followed the screening Kentarô Hagiwara said that it was a real challenge to create a good movie, because he himself is a fan of Tokyo Ghoul and he wanted it to be perfect. He also said that Masataka Kubota was reading the Manga in between shooting sessions. Which shows the effort which was put into the movie.
Sure, here and there are a few minor changes and maybe one or the other character is a bit over the top, but in general it is a really well made movie. Even the setting is on point. Okay, it's not so hard to get Tokyo right, when you're in Tokyo, but I really liked how they did the "Antique" café and different little things. I especially liked the mood they created for Uta's Mask Shop. So good, the setting, the mood, the decoration, on point. Even the whole accident scene that turns Ken Kaneki is on point. It's so real and so extremely close to the Manga.
We also got a lot of fight and training scenes which are really good. Not too long, not too short, not in any way too exaggerated. Really well made and only the ones that where important to the whole story. Even the symbolic bits and bobs that are noticeable throughout the Manga got included. Which also got underlined through the way the movie was cut and through the use of the visual effects.
This movie is not only a masterpiece adaptation wise, but also really creative and well done in all aspects. Also in the interview that followed the screening Kentarô Hagiwara said that it was a real challenge to create a good movie, because he himself is a fan of Tokyo Ghoul and he wanted it to be perfect. He also said that Masataka Kubota was reading the Manga in between shooting sessions. Which shows the effort which was put into the movie.
It was dark. It was fun. It was exciting. It was way too real at times.
Rating: 
Cast:
- Yû Aoi - Rize Kamishiro
- Masataka Kubota - Ken Kaneki
- Shun'ya Shiraishi - Nishiki Nishio
- Nozomi Sasaki - Kaya Irimi
- Fumika Shimizu - Toka Kirishima
- Yô Ôizumi - Kureo Mado
- Nobuyuki Suzuki - Kotaro Amon
- Duncan - Hisashi Ogura
- Seika Furuhata - Yoriko Kosaka
- Hiyori Sakurada - Hinami Fueguchi
- Minosuke Bandô - Uta
- Shôko Aida - Ryoko Fueguchi
- Kunio Murai - Yoshimura
- Shuntarô Yanagi - Renji Yomo
- Kenta Hamano - Enji Koma
The official tweet about the event:
◤◢◤◢ ドイツでグール旋風 ◤◢◤◢— 映画『東京喰種 トーキョーグール』 (@tkg_movie) July 8, 2017
アメリカに続き、ベルリンの地で映画『#東京喰種 トーキョーグール』ヨーロッパプレミア上映を開催！「サイコー！」「ファンが満足する要素が満載だった」と、上映後に観客の歓声が飛び交い、舞台挨拶で登壇した萩原監督と共に大盛り上がりとなりました！ pic.twitter.com/FkcOaGyIlQ
The official facebook post about the event:
◤◢◤◢ ドイツでグール旋風 ◤◢◤◢ アメリカに続き、ベルリンの地で映画『東京喰種 トーキョーグール』ヨーロッパプレミア上映を開催！ 「サイコー！」「ファンが満足する要素が満載だった」と、上映後に観客の歓声が飛び交い、舞台挨拶で登壇した萩原監督と共に大盛り上がりとなりました！Posted by 東京喰種 on Friday, 7 July 2017
Links: MyDramaList ⎢ MyAnimeList ⎢ official twitter ⎢ official facebook ⎢ official Website
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